"I think Bill was expressing his opinion that if it was just rural Ontario, and maybe even suburban Ontario, things would be different," Bailey said.

Murdoch floated the idea at a Bruce County Federation of Agriculture meeting Saturday. The group was discussing coyote attacks on livestock and the lack of provincial leadership on the issue. Toronto's population, at 2.5 million, tops that of Prince Edward Island at 140,000, Murdoch noted.

Bailey said Murdoch is known for defending his rural constituency.

"He's a very colourful individual," he said. "He keeps me very entertained. He's been elected for 20 years and knows his riding inside out."

But Bailey said the proposal goes too far.

"As a province we're better off all together, learning to work together," he said.

Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Maria Van Bommel doesn't agree with Murdoch's pitch. Her largely rural riding has a voice in government affairs, she said.

"Rural members have a reputation for being straight shooters, as Mr. Murdoch would understand very well," she said. "We pull no punches at caucus. When we speak up the premier and the rest of caucus certainly hear us."

Sarnia-Lambton MP Pat Davidson said the Murdoch captured the imagination of many Ontarians, but she doesn't support the idea. But the former county warden and mayor of Plympton-Wyoming has shared his frustrations.

"There are times, I'm sure, when all elected officials in rural Ontario feel that Toronto does not hear what they have to say," she said. "But the same thing would be true if it weren't Toronto. If it was some other city that was the capital."

Creating a new province would take some heavy-lifting at the federal level, Davidson added.

"The constitution is not opened on a whim."

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said Murdoch's idea isn't that far-fetched.

The City of Toronto already has different taxation powers than other rural areas and municipalities. What most civic leaders want is the ability to govern without interference from Toronto.

"I think it's worth looking into," Bradley said. "There are over 400 municipalities in Ontario . . . It seems to me there needs to be fairness in how cities are treated and we're not treated equally now."